Mail-cart.



W. B. WHERRY.

MAIL CART.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 21,1910.

974,729. Ptented Nov. 1, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. W. B. WHERRY.

MAIL CART.

A?PLIOATION FILED MLY21, 1910.

974,729. Patented Nov. 1, i910.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. 6

WILLIAM B. WHERRY, OF OVERTON, TEXAS.

MAIL-CART.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1910.

Application filed May 21, 1910. Serial No. 562,666.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM B. WHERRY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Over-ton, in the county of Rusk and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Carts, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawmgs.

This invention relates to an improved one Wheel cart which is especiallyadapted for use in carrying mail on rural delivery routes but which maybe used for other purposes.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved cart of thischaracter which will be of simple and inexpensive construction, whichwill travel over muddy and sandy roads without much draft on the animaland which has its single ground wheel provided with a broad concaveperiphery or rim supported by two rows of spokes and adapted to compressthe mud or sand over which it travels and thereby prevent sinking intothe road or ground over which the cart is drawn.

lVith the above and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafterfully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation proved mail cart; F 2 isa top plan view; Figs. 3 and 4 are cross sectional views takenrespectively on the lines 3-3 and l4 in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a detailperspective View showing parts of the scraper; and Fig. 6 is a similarview showing the link connection between the body of the cart and thedraft device or gear.

My improved cart comprises a rectangular body 1 composed of side platesor bars 2 united by a rear cross bar 4 and by a front top plate 5 whichlatter serves as a foot platform for the rider. The latter occupies aseat 6 arranged on two upwardly and inwardly inclined standards orbrackets 7 the lower ends of which are secured to the central portionsof the side bars 2 and also to inner reinforcing side bars 8 whichlatter are arranged on the inner faces of the bars 2 and have secured totheir bottom edges forwardly projecting connecting bars 9.

The body of the cart is arranged over a single ground wheel 10 which hasa very broad rim or periphery 11 the outer surface of my imof which isconcave whereby mud, sand or other loose ground over which the wheelpasses will be compacted or compressed beneath the wheel andconsequently the wheel will not sink down into the road or ground andthere will be no excessive draft on the animal. This concave rim 11 isconnected by two annular series of radially arranged spokes 12 the innerends of which are fixed in a cylindrical hub 13 loosely mounted on atransverse axle 14: and prevented from having endwise movement thereonby stop collars 15 which are made adjustable by providing them with setscrews, as shown in Fig. 4. The axle or shaft 14 has its end portionsrotatable in bearing blocks 16 fixed to the lower ends of ellipticalsprings 17 the upper portions of which are fixed to the connecting bars9 of the body of the cart.

18 denotes a pair of shafts or thills the intermediate portions of whichare connected by a crossbar 19 on the center of which is pivoted aswingletree 20 to which the draft animal is hitched. The rear endportions of the thills 18 have fastened to their bottom faces dependinghanger brackets 21 formed from metal straps which are bent substantiallyin the form of the letter V, provided with openings at their lower endswhich receive the axle 14 and have their end portions diverged and bentin opposite direction for attachment to the thills 18, as will beunderstood on reference to Fig. 1. The hangers 21 are secured 011 theaxle 1 1 by retaining nuts 22 arranged on the extremities of said axle,and between the said brackets or hangers and the bars 16 are arrangedstop collars 23 which are similar to the collar 15 and are madeadjustable by means of set screws, see Fig. 1. Owing to thisconstruction it will be seen that the thills 18 may have a limitedvertical swinging movement with the animal and the cart body 1 maylikewise have limited swinging movement from the axle and also verticalmovement by reason of the supporting springs 17 but in order to preventthe cart body 1 from tilting forwardly or rear-wardly to an excessiveextent, loose connections are provided between the forward projectingends of the connecting bars 9 and the thill cross bar 19. These looseconnections preferably consistof angw lar plates 24 secured to the crossbar 19 and having open end portions 25 to receive loops or eyes 26 onplates 27 which latter are se cured to the bars 9, see Figs-1 and 6. If

desired at the front of the body of the cart I may provide an uprightdash board 28 and a box or receptacle 29 in which the mail carrier mayplace the mail.

In order to prevent mud from adhering to the concave periphery or rim ofthe wheel 10 I provide a scraper which may consist of a concave plate 30having an enlarged curved end to run in the concave outer surface of thewheel rim and a reduced slotted upper portion 31 to receive an attachingplate 32 secured to the rear cross bar 4 of the body of the cartwherebythe scraper plate 30 will move downwardly and have swingingmovement.

From the foregoing it will be seen that by constructing the cart as setforth and providing it with a single supporting wheel having a broadconcave periphery or rim and arranging the drivers seat immediatelyabove the center of the wheel, that an animal may draw the cart whereverit can travel and over mud, sand or rough roads with comparativelylittle effort. The peculiar shape of the wheel prevents it from sinkinginto mud or sand and increasing the draft on the animal and the peculiarconstruction of the cart not only renders it light in weight and strongand durable in use, but also makes the riding exceedingly easy andcomfortable for the driver.

Various changes in the form, proportion and arrangement of parts and inthe details of construction may be resorted to within the spirit andscope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A cart of the character described comprising an axle, a wheelcentrally arranged on said axle, bearings on the axle near its ends, abody, sprlngs on sa1d bearlngs and connected to and supporting the body,a draft device connected directly to the ends of the axle andconnections between said draft device and said body to prevent excessiveforward and rearward rocking motion of the latter.

2. A cart of the character described comprising an axle, a springsupported body mounted on the axle for swinging move ment, a singlesupporting wheel arranged on the axle directly beneath the body, a pairof connected thills having hangers connected to the end portions of theaxle whereby the thills may have vertical movement, and looseconnections between thethills and the front portion of the body.

3. A cart of the character described com prising an axle, bearingsthereon, springs on said bearings, rectangular cart body fixed to saidsprings, a seat arranged centrally on the body and disposed over saidaxle, a single ground wheel for supporting the body, said wheel beingfixed to the central portion of the axle and arranged directly beneaththe body and having a broad concave periphery, a pair of thillsconnected by a cross bar, hangers depending from the thills andconnected to the axle, and loose connections between the thill cross barand the front end of the body.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

VVILLIAH B. WVHERRY.

Vitnesses:

J. E. BAGWELL, P. G. GRAY.

